The dazzling ice sculptures taking shape on Copley Square are an ephemeral highlight of Boston’s New Year’s Eve celebration, but the ice carver who chisels the magical creations has been a staple of First Night for decades.
Steve Rose, 54, began carving ice sculptures for the annual event in 1987, missing only one year in the 1990s after he injured his knee while skiing. The freezing temperatures gripping the city this weekend provide perfect conditions for showcasing his art, he said.
“You’re in the middle of Boston carving ice,’’ Rose said Saturday. “Nothing could be better for us.’’
Rose’s life in ice began, he said, in the kitchen of the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, where he worked under a chef from Germany.
One day, he was asked to carve a horse from ice using chisels and ice picks.
“It was little, and it was terrible,’’ Rose said.
But it was a start.
While still working at the Park Plaza, Rose said he sharpened his ice carving skills and won a national title for ice sculpting. By the time he was 23, Rose said he decided to devote himself to ice carving and established his company, Boston Ice Effects, in Rockland.
“Ice is not easy to carve,’’ he said. “I’m always evolving.’’
Over the past three decades, Rose’s sculptures for First Night have included a replica of the Statute of Liberty, Captain America, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and an eagle.
His wife and two sons made a tradition of driving into Boston to see his displays. This year, his children are helping prepare his annual show.
“I think it’s really interesting, just the skills he has,’’ said Rose’s son Alex, a freshman at Salem State University. “I can’t do what he does.’’
Rose and his crew have been working in Copley Square since Wednesday to ready this year’s display, which has an enchanted forest theme. The sculptures include a castle, unicorn, and forest scene.
Ice sculptures are also planned for six other sites, including the Four Seasons Hotel Boston and the Boston Public Library in Copley Square.
By midday Saturday, Rose was putting the finishing touches on a topper for the castle with a chain saw. A crowd gathered to watch his crew work.
“The ice sculptures are really pretty,’’ said Ann Lau, of Quincy, who admired the carvings with her mother and sister.
Matt Palmer, 30, who described himself as Rose’s apprentice, said the ice undergoes a dramatic transformation during the carving process.
The sculptures start as blocks of ice stacked on top of each other like Legos, Palmer said. The ice blocks, he said, weigh about 350 pounds each.
The ice blocks begin getting some definition under the blade of a chain saw during a process called “roughing out.’’ For more intricate designs, sculptors apply templates to the ice blocks to guide them.
Next comes the detail work that brings the ice blocks to life. Sculptors use a wide array of tools, including grinders, drill bits, chisels, and ice picks.
During previous years when the weather brought rain and warm temperatures to the First Night celebrations, much of the carving was done in a freezer at Rose’s shop. Once the sculptures arrived in Boston, crews used coverings, boxes, and insulation to protect them from deteriorating.
But this year’s frigid temperatures mean Rose and his crew can do more work in the open.
“Any humidity or rain or precipitation, that’s bad for the ice. You have to cover it. It’s a big hassle,’’ Palmer said. “The colder the better for us.’’
Palmer said he began working with Rose 10 years ago. The son of an artist, Palmer said he started doing pencil drawings when he was 7 or 8 years old and enjoys having a professional outlet for his talent.
The timing of the celebration means he plans to rise at 5 a.m. Sunday to finish the sculptures before crowds start flooding the city.
“This is definitely my tradition . . . I don’t celebrate the new year, because after all this I don’t make it to midnight,’’ Palmer said. “I’m out here all week in the cold, and that’s enough. That’s it for me.’’
Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi.
